Griz Read 2025
The purpose of the Griz Read is to provide new Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ with a common connection through a thought-provoking book. Each year, a committee of faculty, staff, and Ñý¼§Ö±²¥ selects a book from nominations submitted by the campus community.
All members of the campus community, especially first-year Ñý¼§Ö±²¥, are encouraged to read the book and participate in Griz Read events.
We believe that books forge powerful bonds and we are excited to begin the campus discussion this year!
The Book of Delights: A New York Times Bestseller
Named one of the Best Books of 2019 by the Washington Independent Review of Books and Shelf Awareness
Named a best reviewed book of 2019 by Lit Hub.
Named one of five books every high schooler should read by the School Library Journal
Named one of “8 Books We Can’t Stop Thinking Ñý¼§Ö±²¥,” Vanity Fair
The New York Times bestselling book of essays celebrating ordinary delights in the world around us by one of America's most original and observant writers, award-winning poet Ross Gay. The winner of the NBCC Award for Poetry offers up a spirited collection of short lyrical essays, written daily over a tumultuous year, reminding us of the purpose and pleasure of praising, extolling, and celebrating ordinary wonders. The Book of Delights offers up a genre-defying volume of lyric essays written over one tumultuous year. The first nonfiction book from award-winning poet Ross Gay is a record of the small joys we often overlook in our busy lives. Among Gay’s funny, poetic, philosophical delights: a friend’s unabashed use of air quotes, cradling a tomato seedling aboard an airplane, the silent nod of acknowledgment between the only two black people in a room. But Gay never dismisses the complexities, even the terrors, of living in America as a black man or the ecological and psychic violence of our consumer culture or the loss of those he loves. More than anything else, though, Gay celebrates the beauty of the natural world–his garden, the flowers peeking out of the sidewalk, the hypnotic movements of a praying mantis. The Book of Delights is about our shared bonds, and the rewards that come from a life closely observed. These remarkable pieces serve as a powerful and necessary reminder that we can, and should, stake out a space in our lives for delight.
“Ross Gay’s eye lands upon wonder at every turn, bolstering my belief in the countless small miracles that surround us.” —Tracy K. Smith, Pulitzer Prize winner and U.S. Poet Laureate
“The delights he extols here . . . feel purposeful and imperative as well as contagious in their joy.” —The New York Times Book Review
“Perfect for this tense and distracting moment—beautiful, small bites you can consume when you need some sustenance for the soul.” —Time
“You’ll find that the delights of Gay’s world illuminate the delights of yours, that his wonder is contagious and has caused you to deepen your own.” —GQ
“From cover to cover, the beautifully written essays highlight the little miracles that happen all around us. It encourages the reader to slow down, take in each moment and find joy in the everyday.” —Today
“I am indebted to this book for reminding me, reminding us, that there is so much to celebrate in the world.” —Clint Smith, author of How the Word Is Passed
“His delight is infectious. It’s hard to read Gay and not to be won over.” —The Seattle Times
"The Book of Delights is a most delightful book by a most delightful human." —Friends Journal
"Let’s be delighted. Let’s go out and find things that delight us. And let’s ask Ross Gay along — he’s an expert. . . you read him with a smile that makes your face tired because it stays for hours . . .This little book is a summer companion — it will make it summer no matter the season." —The Philadelphia Inquirer
"Gay’s zest for life bursts forth on almost every page." —Bookreporter
"An altogether charming and, yes, delightful book." —Kirkus Review
"(Gay) is a remarkable expositor of the positive, and his writings serve as reminders 'of something deeply good in us.'" —Publisher's Weekly
"This stunning self-portrait of a gardener, a teacher, and a keen observer of life is sure to inspire." —Annie Bostrom, BookList
"Documenting his travels and encounters over the course of his year with a wry, deft touch, his book stays true to its title and demonstrates his estimable talents as a prose stylist as well as poet." —Foreword Reviews, starred review
“Ross Gay’s The Book of Delights reminds us of the wisdom of old songs: What a difference a day makes. This is a glimpse into a year of an artist’s life, dazzling with wit, wisdom and heart." —Tayari Jones, bestselling author of An American Marriage
“What I love most about these delights is how Ross Gay is able to use as little language as possible to populate a world where his memories are your memories, intertwined, reaching out of the pages. There is, indeed, a great pleasure to be unearthed.” —Hanif Abdurraqib, author of They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us
“The Book of Delights is a joy explosion . . . There is no other book on the planet I’d rather read right now, no other writing that can make me believe in the future—and us—again." —Lidia Yuknavitch, author of The Misfit’s Manifesto
“Ross Gay is a writer perfectly suited to find delight. His eye is so brilliant, it seems to glow from within. When I need hope, I turn to his words. And this collection will remind you how beautiful it is to be alive.” —Luis Alberto Urrea, bestselling author of The House of Broken Angels
“The most beautiful thing about this book is the way it insists that delight is serious business, and that love can be our teacher, and that if we pay strict and openhearted attention we can learn. Ross Gay is a secular blessing, a possibility-expander; his work is a free box of realizable light.” —Pam Houston, author of Contents May Have Shifted
“Each essay in Ross Gay's collection is a gem, depicting the fruits of mindfulness, of intensely living in and gazing at the present moments of life. Reading The Book of Delights brings you right to our profound connection to the world and to each other.” —Sharon Salzberg, bestselling author of Real Love
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ross Gay is interested in joy.
Ross Gay wants to understand joy.
Ross Gay is curious about joy.
Ross Gay studies joy.
Something like that.
Ross Gay is the author of four books of poetry: Against Which; Bringing the Shovel Down; Be Holding, winner of the PEN American Literary Jean Stein Award; and Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude, winner of the 2015 National Book Critics Circle Award and the 2016 Kingsley Tufts Poetry Award. In addition to his poetry, Ross has released three collections of essays—The Book of Delights was released in 2019 and was a New York Times bestseller — it is UM's 2025 Griz Read; Inciting Joy was released in 2022, and his newest collection, The Book of (More) Delights was released in September of 2023.
(sourced from www.rossgay.net/about)